KCSB-FM and La Casa de la Raza present popular journalist Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now! – a daily international radio and TV news show – for a lecture, discussion, book signing, and more, on Friday, April 25th at La Casa De La Raza (601 E. Montecito St.). Goodman will speak about the just-released Standing Up to the Madness: Ordinary Heroes in Extraordinary Times (Hyperion), her third book co-written with brother David Goodman, an investigative journalist also appearing at the event.

Standing Up to the Madness explores the stories of everyday Americans fighting to keep democracy as one of the country’s defining values. The authors tell stories of everyday citizens who challenge the government and prevail, changing the way politics is done. People highlighted in the book include African-American residents from New Orleans fighting to regain their post-deluge homes; Connecticut librarians who refused to spy on patrons, challenged the PATRIOT Act, and won; high school students barred from performing a play they wrote on the Iraq War based on soldiers’ letters; and the first U.S. Army officer to refuse orders to deploy to Iraq, charging that his duty as an officer is to refuse to fight an illegal and immoral war. Topics likely to be discussed include the corporate media, a recessionary economy, the U.S. campaign season, and much more.

The night begins at 6:30pm with a UFW-inspired Chicano art exhibition featuring local painter Ray Cirerol, and a reception with David Goodman. At 7:30pm is a screening of the Oscar-nominated documentary short, Sari’s Mother, about an Iraqi mother seeking health care for her dying 10-year old son, against a backdrop of war and occupation. Presentations by the Goodmans will follow, plus a book signing and Q&A session. This UCSB “All-Gaucho Reunion Weekend” event is part of a nation-wide Democracy Now! tour to support community media outlets and other activist or non-profit organizations. The night is being co-sponsored by Chaucer’s Books and The Santa Barbara Independent.

“KCSB is proud to bring the Goodmans back to town, and our staff is also excited to sustain an ongoing partnership with La Casa,” says Ted Coe, KCSB’s Development Coordinator. “The underlying theme for the evening will be grassroots successes – stories of the brave and tenacious people who fight long odds to build a more just and better world. We think people are hungry for a public dialogue of this sort, during a time that the rest of the media is so focused on sensationalism and personalities, instead of solutions for the serious problems facing our world. Given these circumstances, there is possibly no better place to host this event, and we’re pleased it came together so well as a late addition to the Goodmans’ tour.”

About Amy Goodman, David Goodman, and “Democracy Now!”: Investigative reporter, author, columnist, and DN! host Amy Goodman has received numerous awards, including the Robert F. Kennedy Prize for International Reporting, the George Polk Award, and the Armstrong Award. DN!, carried on 650 radio and TV stations globally, is the largest community media collaboration in the country. David Goodman is an award-winning investigative journalist, author of seven books, and a contributing writer to Mother Jones magazine. Standing Up to the Madness is the Goodmans’ follow-up to their New York Times bestsellers, The Exception to the Rulers and Static.

About KCSB-FM and La Casa de la Raza: KCSB is located on the UCSB campus, and offers a wide range of sounds and perspectives from the Central Coast. The only non-profit community radio station based in Santa Barbara, KCSB gives year-round training to individuals and groups who would not otherwise have access to radio resources. La Casa de la Raza is a non-profit community organization providing resources to the underserved Chicano and Latino residents of Santa Barbara County, while also making its center available to many other groups and private citizens.